Women's Track & Field | April 25, 2018

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan track and field team heads to Iowa for the annual running of the Drake Relays, beginning on Wednesday.

Junior Allison Hufnagel and freshmen Clare Lycan kick things off with the heptathlon on Wednesday and Thursday. It's the first heptathlon of Lycan's career and the fourth for Hufnagel. Hufnagel has seen an increase in her score every time she has competed. Her first time was at the Mid-American Conference Championship in 2016, scoring 4,285 points. Last season she competed at the Penn Relays and increased her output to 4,384. She followed it up at last season's MAC Championship with a new personal-best total of 4,796. Her total was good enough for seventh overall, resulting in her first career points at the MAC Outdoor Championship.

The distance events also get rolling on Thursday. Claire Gilbert and Maria McDaniel will both be competing in the unseeded 5,000-meter run. McDaniel is a former Drake Relays champion, winning the 5,000 in her freshman season.

"Drake is always fun because the meet focuses more on the relays," said head coach Kelly Lycan. "And it's always fun to get a chance to run the relays we don't normally run, like the 4x200 or the shuttle hurdle. They can be a real refreshing change from their normal work of trying to hit qualifying marks in their individual events. It creates a much more team-oriented atmosphere."

The relays get underway on Friday, with the 4x100-meter and the 4x800. Saturday features the 4x200, shuttle hurdle, distance medley, sprint medley, 4x100 and 4x400. Several Broncos will also be competing individually throughout Friday and Saturday.

Western Michigan will also be sending a contingent of athletes, including all throwers, to the Hillsdale Relays on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.